Lynx – Page 15 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Moss Wouldn’t Change Lambeau Incident

Posted on July 17, 2018July 17, 2018 by David Shama

Enjoy a Tuesday notes column:

Randy Moss, speaking on a conference call with reporters yesterday in advance of his induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame next month, said he “wouldn’t change” his January 9, 2005 infamous incident at Lambeau Field.

In that wildcard playoff game Moss helped the Vikings to a 31-17 win by making big plays, but he infuriated Packers fans and amused some Vikings faithful when he feigned pulling down his pants as if to moon Green Bay fans in their home stadium after catching a touchdown pass. Moss was mocking the tradition of Packer fans who mooned the buses of Green Bay rivals when they came to Lambeau. He said yesterday his actions weren’t a celebration but “more for the fans.”

Fox play-by-play announcer Joe Buck called the incident a “disgusting act,” and fans regionally and nationally were divided in their views. “I didn’t know it was going to really get that kind of negative attention,” Moss said. “Of course, I wouldn’t have done nothing like that. I’ve never done nothing like that in my career. But it’s not like I pulled my pants down or anything like that.”

Among the greatest touchdown makers who ever played wide receiver, Moss’s career was characterized as much by controversy as big plays. He grew up poor in West Virginia and carried a chip on his shoulder, convinced that attitude would help him succeed. “Football is a brutal sport,” he said yesterday reflecting on his football days that included 14 seasons in the NFL.

The Vikings drafted Moss in the first round in 1998 and he was an immediate star who played in Minnesota until the 2005 offseason when owner Red McCombs sent him to the Raiders in a trade that still irks many local fans. Moss will be one of eight inductees into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton on August 4.

Buck, who calls his 20th MLB All-Star Game tonight on TV, is married to Michelle Beisner, the niece of longtime Gopher public address announcer Dick Jonckowski of Shakopee.

Best player in tonight’s game? Sports Illustrated and a lot of sources claim that distinction belongs to Mike Trout of the Angels. In the magazine’s current issue S.I. lists “the highest WAR (wins above replacement) by a position player in his first eight seasons.” Trout, at 61.1, trails only Ted Williams, 72.6; Albert Pujols, 64.1; and Mickey Mantle, 61.4.

Any passionate baseball fan has favorite All-Star Game memories. Mine is the 1999 game in Boston when the immortal Williams, nearing the end of his life, was brought out on the field in a wheelchair to thunderous applause and tears of appreciation across the country.

A favorite of Twins president Dave St. Peter is the 1993 All-Star Game in Baltimore when the late Kirby Puckett was named MVP. “He loved the All-Star Game,” St. Peter said.

The Twins have hosted three All-Star Games in their history, 1965, 1985 and 2014. St. Peter said that because MLB likes to move the game around to various cities, it probably will be 20 years or more before Twins decision makers will even consider bringing another game to Minneapolis.

The Twins are 7.5 games behind the first place Indians in the Central Division. Twins catcher Bobby Wilson said on WCCO Radio’s “Sports Huddle” Sunday that the situation reminds him of his 2015 Rangers who were 8.5 games out of first place in the AL West on August 1 and won the division.

The Twins, 44-50, start a 10-game road trip after the All-Star break with a series against the struggling Royals that Minnesota needs to win. The Indians come to Target Field for a series starting July 30.

Minnesota probably needs to be about four games behind the Indians by mid-August to have a realistic chance of winning the division.

The Twins have named Double-A Chattanooga outfielder/first baseman Zander Wiel and Single-A Cedar Rapids right-handed pitcher Bailey Ober Minor League Player and Pitcher of the Week. Wiel played in seven games for the Lookouts last week, hitting .333 with one home run, three RBI, five walks and a .448 OBP. Ober, honored for the second consecutive week with the award, made one start for the Kernels, pitching 6.2 shutout innings while giving up five hits, with 10 strikeouts and allowing one walk.

Niko Guardado, the 21-year-old son of Twins bullpen coach Eddie Guardado, is an actor whose career includes TV appearances on “The Goldbergs” and “The Fosters.”

There is speculation about what’s wrong with the defending WNBA champion Lynx including that core players are declining because of age. These same players, though, have so much experience in knowing how to win they could be a surprise team later in the season and in the playoffs. The Lynx are 12-10, after losing only a total of seven games last season.

Elgin Baylor’s new book, “Hang Time,” includes his early NBA years in Minneapolis when he was almost a one-man team.

Comments Welcome

Battle for Fans Tight in Twin Cities

Posted on May 21, 2018May 21, 2018 by David Shama

On a gorgeous Sunday yesterday we got a reminder about our crowded sports marketplace. The Twins and United played outdoors, while the Lynx opened their season indoors at Target Center.

The Golden Gophers and our seven pro teams (add in the Saints, Timberwolves, Vikings and Wild) often butt heads on the same day. The winners are Minnesota sports fans who have a plethora of professional and Gopher teams to follow in a society that thrives on choices and variety in everything from autos to wieners.

This area’s sports smorgasbord is among the most diverse in the nation. We also rank at the top with our lineup of (mostly) modern venues: Allianz Field, CHS Field, Target Center, Target Field, TCF Bank Stadium, 3M Arena at Mariucci, U.S. Bank Stadium, Williams Arena and Xcel Energy Center.

Ask the business side leaders of Minneapolis-St. Paul teams how they view all the competition from one another, and then get ready for a politically correct answer. They will tell you how great it is to have a rich sports landscape and that all the teams can be successful financially. The stock answers will include how they cheer for each other and wish for success by all.

Kumbaya? Maybe.

Truth is, if you eliminated several of the teams, popularity and box office success would increase for at least some organizations. Last Sunday the Twins drew 28,577 fans and the Lynx attracted 13,002, according to the Star Tribune. Despite playing in spectacular weather against border rival Milwaukee, the Twins missed a sellout by about 10,000 customers. The Lynx, in a seaon opener celebrating last year’s WNBA title and playing a top team in the Sparks, had over 6,000 seats that went unsold. The United reported a sellout audience of 23,117 at its temporary home at TCF Bank Stadium.

At 3.5 million, this is one of the 20 largest metropolitan areas in the country and that large population helps to support all of our entertainment options, but imagine if neither the Twins, nor the Lynx, or United, had box office competition in the spring and summer. What if the Gophers didn’t have to battle the Vikings, Timberwolves and Wild for football, basketball and hockey customers?

Some operations get hurt in this crowded sports marketplace that includes a battle not just to sell tickets but also to generate revenues from suites, sponsorships, venue and broadcast advertisers, concessions and merchandising. Despite four WNBA titles in seven years, the Lynx work hard to sell tickets including in the playoffs. The Timberwolves and Gophers, even with infrequent successes, have histories of disappointing their fans. Support for these teams can be iffy and conditional.

You can add the Twins to that list. They and MLB also face the problems of inclement weather, lengthy games and slow pace of play.

The Vikings win any and all popularity contests here. With a winning team and fabulous venue in U.S. Bank Stadium, the Vikings can withstand any number of competitors for the sports dollar in this marketplace. The NFL, despite its infamous reputation for head trauma, remains at the top of the American sports kingdom including in Minneapolis.

The Wild has produced competitive teams but little to cheer about in the playoffs. The organization, though, excels at customer relations and is in sync with the rabid hockey market in Minnesota. Hockey fans have a special passion for their sport and the Wild has never seriously broken the bond with its fanbase.

It’s niche loyalty that serves the Saints, too. The local independent baseball franchise’s shtick has branded the Saints as entertainment first, winning second. Comedian Bill Murray is an owner and there seemingly is no end to the gimmicks in the organization’s marketing plan. The Saints do it right, including dividing up their CHS Field seat allotment into thirds for season tickets, groups and individual sales.

Saints games are family friendly and tickets inexpensive compared with many of the offerings in this market. Affordable pricing is part of the United’s strategy, also. The second-year Minnesota MLS franchise is aiming to fill its stadium with what executives see as an unfilled opportunity to satisfy the existing and growing soccer interest in the state.

Part of what’s fueled the population growth in this area is an increasing immigrant population. Many of those newcomers love the “world’s sport”—soccer. A lot of immigrants are young and like other Minnesota millennials have grown up playing soccer.

Millennials, though, are an elusive target for some sport marketers. Baseball, football and golf all want to score with millenials who have a reputation for short attention spans. Ask a millennial if he watched a Twins game, or even the Vikings, and a predictable answer is he opted for a 25-second video recap.

For now at least there isn’t any downsizing in this busy sports marketplace that includes the Minnesota Whitecaps, the women’s pro hockey franchise that has been around since 2004. Leaders announced last week the Whitecaps are joining the National Women’s Hockey League. That’s the highest level of American women’s professional hockey, so we’re big league in that, too.

Expansion of the sports menu appears likely with Minneapolis-St. Paul trading the 3M Championship senior golf tournament for a PGA Tour event starting in 2019. More competition for the sports dollar locally but another option for the consumer.

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Top Prospect Follows Lindsay Whalen

Posted on April 19, 2018April 19, 2018 by David Shama

Paige Bueckers, the sophomore point guard from Hopkins High School who is among the most coveted prep basketball players nationally in the class of 2020, has a Lindsay Whalen jersey and autographed Whalen shoes in her bedroom.

Whalen, the Lynx WNBA champion point guard and former Gold Medal Olympics winner, was named University of Minnesota women’s basketball coach last week. “She (Paige) is excited for Lindsay. She has been a big fan growing up,” Hopkins coach Brian Cosgriff told Sports Headliners.

At this time of year, per NCAA policy, coaches like Whalen can’t contact high school sophomores. That doesn’t mean, though, Paige won’t be following the 35-year-old Whalen who not only will be in the news as Gophers coach but also while continuing her career this spring and summer for the Lynx as the team attempts to repeat as WNBA champs. “She is interested to see where Lindsay is taking the program,” Cosgriff said.

Bueckers frequently attends Gophers games so she is already familiar with the team and Williams Arena. But Cosgriff said don’t mark her down as a future Gopher yet because his all-state player is sorting through college options for now.

Those options include an offer from Connecticut’s storied program and legendary coach Geno Auriemma. He has been to Minnesota multiple times to watch Bueckers. “He’s a huge fan (of Bueckers),” Cosgriff said.

Count Notre Dame, Stanford and much of the Big Ten as schools wanting Bueckers who has been on the Hopkins varsity since eighth grade and starting at point guard for the last two seasons.

The 5-11, 150-pound Bueckers averaged 23.5 points per game for the Royals last season who finished second in the Class 4A state tournament despite her 37 points. Last season she made 54 percent of her field goals, 52 percent of her threes and 90 percent of her free throws.

Some games she scored more than 20 points by halftime. But Cosgriff said his wunderkind (she had a six to one assist to turnovers ratio) would “rather pass than shoot,” and when sitting on the bench is the Royals’ biggest cheerleader for teammates.

Fundamentally advanced for her age, and so versatile Cosgriff will even play her at center, Bueckers prompts raves when people talk about her. That starts with her coach who has been at Hopkins for almost 20 seasons, winning titles and building the Royals into a power. “She is the best I’ve had, and I’ve had some good ones,” Cosgriff said.

The roll call of great players in state history includes Nia Coffey who was terrific at Hopkins and now plays in the WNBA. Mention any legendary names to former Gopher guard and assistant coach Al Nuness and that won’t deter him from offering the highest praise to Bueckers.

“I think she will be the best women’s basketball player ever to come out of the state of Minnesota,” said Nuness who works at Hopkins as a paraprofessional.

Nuness has watched Bueckers practice and refers to her as “phenomenal”—yet he sees a player who will continue to improve. “I don’t think she is even close to reaching her potential,” he said.

Nuness predicted there will be a domino effect if Bueckers chooses Minnesota. “This is almost a must for us at Minnesota (to get her),” the former Gopher men’s captain said. “This girl is going to bring other (talented) girls.”

Worth Noting

Bueckers will have a busy offseason from high school basketball including the Boo Williams Girls Nike Invitational in Virginia this weekend where she will play for the North Tartan AAU team.

There is already speculation about how long Whalen continues her dual role of playing for the Lynx and coaching the Gophers. Will she retire from playing after this summer? There are a lot of priorities to balance between the two jobs.

The Gophers Athletic Department announced this week a goodwill tour stopping in nine communities in the state during May to visit with fans. The list of coaches from the department participating in the tour totals 14, but doesn’t include Whalen who will have preseason and regular season games with the Lynx during the month.

DeLaSalle class of 2019 point guard Tyrell Terry tweeted this week he received a scholarship offer from the Gophers. Iowa State and Stanford are among schools showing interest, too.

Birthday department: Twins first baseman Joe Mauer is 35 today and Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor turns 77 tomorrow.

The Wild, down 3-1 to the Jets, will see a raucous crowd tomorrow night in Winnipeg’s Bell MTS Place. “It will be as loud as any building you’ve heard,” Fox Sports North commentator Kevin Gorg told Sports Headliners.

Gorg said defenseman Nick Seeler, called up from Iowa this winter, has been a surprise and played “phenomenal.” The 24-year-old has brought aggressive play to a defensemen roster thinned by injuries.

Gotta be a big fan to buy airfare at the last minute from Minneapolis to Winnipeg for Friday night’s game. Expedia quoted a cost of $976 yesterday for round trip leaving today and returning Saturday.

With his affection for NFL Draft maneuvers, it will be fun to see what Vikings general manager Rick Spielman comes up with later this month. As of now the Vikings will watch 29 other selections be made in the first round before their turn in the first day of the NFL Draft on April 26.

Athlonsports.com predicted in a mock draft the Vikings will select Notre Dame offensive tackle Mike McGlinchey. Spielman has shown a liking for Fighting Irish players in the past.

“McGlinchey may eventually take over at left tackle but he’s a starter right away on the right side and would fit in well to the Vikings’ scheme,” Athlon said.

The Vikings have single picks in the first, second, third, fifth and seventh rounds, and three selections in the sixth round.

A pro football source told Sports Headliners he expects the Vikings to prioritize offensive linemen and defensive backs in the draft, and probably select a running back.

Spielman was all but destined to have a career in football. His father was a high school coach in Ohio and the family lived within a few blocks of the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton.

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